Here is some Middle East news you might have missed: An organization called Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) recently closed its doors, citing “operational challenges.” This is likely an oblique nod to insurmountable funding cuts.
Although DCIP’s impact was limited, the stark divide between what the group claimed to be and its actual activities exemplifies the myths underpinning today’s NGO industry. Simply put, many contemporary NGOs’ names and branding often bear little resemblance to their true operations. Instead, they serve to deter necessary scrutiny of their deeds and associations.
Active since 1991, DCIP claimed “to promote and protect the human rights of Palestinian children.” However, what it often framed as deliberate abuses of innocent youths to smear Israel were, in most cases, Israeli responses to terrorist attacks committed by Palestinian teens.
NGO Monitor, the research institute where I work, has documented more than 70 such examples.
Beyond functioning as an Israel-demonization machine, DCIP was deeply enmeshed in the Palestinian “resistance” arena. In 2021, Israel designated it as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group.
Various DCIP officials’ terrorist ties are also well-documented. For instance, after the death of DCIP “community mobilization coordinator” Hashem Abu Maria, the PFLP eulogized him as a “leader.”
Most disturbingly, in December 2014, DCIP’s “director of child protection,” Riyad Arar, was filmed speaking at a PFLP memorial. He was surrounded by flags and posters of the terrorist group, and minors dressed in the group’s Palestinian garb were present, listening dutifully to this supposed children’s rights champion.
Mr. Arar presented himself to the world as a defender of Palestinian children, yet he tacitly endorsed the blatant glorification of child soldiers.
It appears that DCIP’s dishonesty and links to terrorism eventually caught up with it. However, its existence and demise reveal a deeper truth about the world of civil society and non-state organizations: they often represent the precise opposite of what they most loudly proclaim to be.
Consider these examples:
- The “Union of Good,” which is far from “good.” The U.S. Treasury designated this group as a Hamas funding vehicle, which, I would argue, comfortably qualifies as “bad.”
- Members of the EuroMed Feminist Initiative, who celebrated Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre and torture of Israelis, including mass rapes and sexual atrocities. It remains unclear which wave of feminism these horrors are supposed to advance.
- More famously, much has been written about “Queers for Palestine” and the group’s subversion and endangerment of the LGBTQ cause (akin to “Chickens for KFC”) whenever it presents an opportunity to rail against Israel.
Returning to the issue of child soldiers, a practice of Palestinian terrorist organizations that DCIP has consistently ignored since its founding. This is despite it being one of the most prominent affronts to the security of youths in the Palestinian territories.
In the NGO world, names and slogans have become rhetorical sleight of hand, completely divorced from reality. Often, if you are looking for an NGO that genuinely performs ‘X’, you might find one whose name asserts precisely the opposite.
This is not merely marketing. What is at play is a sinister, industry-wide campaign to launder illiberal, immoral, and potentially illegal activities through high-minded branding, using it as a shield against legitimate criticism.
“How could you possibly be against defending children?” DCIP’s defenders ask, even as they endanger an entire generation of Palestinian youths. The facade shatters under scrutiny, but the damage has often already been done.
So, what’s in a name? For non-governmental organizations, a great deal, but usually the opposite of what you would initially assume.
Naftali Shavelson is international spokesperson at the NGO Monitor research institute.
#NGOScrutiny #MiddleEastAdvocacy #DCIPExposed #TerrorismLinks #PFLP #ChildSoldiers #HumanRightsHypocrisy #NGOTransparency #PalestinianYouth #IsraelDefense
